Relapse
by My Secret O
Summary: After detoxing at the cabin, Sookie finds herself in unfamiliar territory. She must decide what she wants in life and what she plans to do about Bill's betrayal. One giant leap of faith will lead her down a path she never dreamed she'd travel, but she can't do it alone. Sequel to Detox.


Charlaine Harris owns almost everything. I own the rest.

DISCLAIMER: I write MA content stories. FF doesn't allow MA content. My solution? I edit out all the MA content and post the first chapter of each story here. This entire chapter (and the rest of the story) will be on my wordpress. Come on over and give me a read at MySecretOFanFiction dot wordpress dot com. This story is a sequel to _Detox_ which I completed earlier this year. You can read it in its entirety on my blog.

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Chapter 1

Sookie's POV

Sookie's entire body ached. Not like it had after the detox spell. This was amazing. She ached for more, even if she couldn't possibly handle it. Her hair fanned out across Eric's sublime chest as she rested on top of him. She not only struggled to breathe, she also couldn't form the words to express how she felt. She explored the edges of his tepid shoulders, his skin cooling her hot fingers. She sighed.

"Are you happy, lover?" Eric asked, his voice rumbling through his chest.

"Very," she answered dreamily.

"Good." He kissed the top of her head. "The sun is coming."

"So soon?"

"We've been together for hours," he said, chuckling. "I don't want to leave any more than you want me to, but if I stay, it won't be pretty."

She clicked her tongue and pouted. "Can I sleep with you?"

"In that tiny coffin? You would be terribly uncomfortable."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him. "When do we leave?" Her heart raced at the idea of the uncertain future that waited for her.

Eric stroked her hair, soothing her as if he knew how anxious she was. "At sundown. The drive is long and the queen will be waiting for us."

"What's she like?" Sookie had asked once before, but it was before Eric trusted her. Things had changed.

He didn't answer right away, his face thoughtful. A slight frown creased his forehead. "She's strong. Commanding."

Sookie swallowed hard. Her pulse thundered against her skin. She opened her mouth to voice her fears, but he went on.

"She's also fair and savvy."

"Fair?" Sookie scoffed. "She's the one that had me held here like a prisoner!"

"You must understand," Eric started. He didn't get to finish because Sookie interrupted him.

"No. _She_ needs to understand that she can't kidnap people whenever she feels like it. You have no idea how scared I was!"

Eric nodded, his head rubbing against the bed under them. "I apologize for not telling you more. I didn't have a lot of say in the matter."

She narrowed her eyes and sized him up. He seemed genuinely sorry for holding her hostage, but that didn't make the situation any better. If the queen had enough power to control Eric, she was far more dangerous than he was letting on.

He pulled her into a kiss, silencing her anxious mind for a moment. "I must go. Try to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay."

His arms tightened around her, and then he rolled them so he could pull away from her. Her body protested at the loss of contact. His hips jerked.

"See you tonight," he said before leaving her room.

"Tonight," she repeated.

Sookie woke hours later in a pool of sweat. She panted hard, her heart hammering against her sternum. Sunlight streamed through the window above her bed. She'd been dreaming about the queen. About Eric. About Bill. She swallowed and licked her dry lips. She needed water and something to eat.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, she made her way into the kitchen where she threw together her last meal at the cabin and sat down to eat alone. Since their arrival, Sookie had been looking forward to leaving, but now she dreaded it. She'd become accustomed to the worn floors and the scratched table. She'd worked hard all week to turn the dump into a homey little oasis. Everywhere she looked she found memories of her budding relationship with Eric.

She frowned. _What's going to happen between us once we get to New Orleans? Does he actually like me, or was I just convenient?_ She shook her head. How could she think that of him? _Because I'm not a fool. Because I know men, and I've been hurt before. What's to say Eric is going to be any different than any of them?_ She took another bite of her dinner and sighed. _He_ is _different though. He's already proved that to me time and time again._

Tired of arguing with herself, she hopped in the shower, rinsing the film of sweat off her skin. The cool water eradicated the suffocating heat of summer and eased some of the tension out of her shoulders.

With the towel wrapped around her body, she walked outside to her favorite bench, intent on enjoying sunbathing in the field of flowers one more time. She covered the weathered wood with the plush fabric and stretched out, arranging her wet hair in a wavy halo around her head. The sun kissed her skin and licked away the water still clinging to her, warming her to her bone. The heat still radiated through her when the sun went down.

She smiled when she heard Eric's door open. The next thing she knew, he hovered over her, naked.

"I thought you might be out here," he said, his voice raw.

She smiled. "I wouldn't miss it."

He stood between her feet and traced the curves of her body. "I want you."

She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations of her nerves waking to his touch. She wanted to ask him if he wanted her because she was there and there wasn't anything else to do, or if he wanted her because he wanted _her_. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she thought, _I don't really want to know the answer to that question._ So she said, "I want you, too," which was true. She did want him. More than anything.

**This section has been cut for MA content**

"Thank you for healing me," she said. "That's a very handy trick."

"I'm happy I can help. Especially when we both benefit." He sucked on her bottom lip, grazing it with his impossibly sharp teeth. "Thank you for feeding me."

"You didn't take very much," she said.

He shrugged, making his hair dance and tickle her face. "You're still recovering from your fever. Octavia told me it would take time for you to heal."

"I feel much better." She sighed, remembering the task that lay ahead. "I didn't pack. I know you said we should leave first thing, but I wanted to sunbathe one last time."

"I'm glad you did," he said, smiling. "Besides, we can pack now."

Sookie pouted and tried to protest when Eric stood, but then he slung her over his shoulder and carried her toward his car.

"I've got everything I need," he said as he moved toward the passenger side.

"Except your keys," she stated, trying not to laugh.

He growled. "Shit."

"And my clothes." She giggled. "And _your_ clothes."

"Clothes are overrated." He put her down on the hood of his car and cupped her face between his hands. "If I had things my way, you wouldn't need clothes ever again. We would run away together and spend every night fucking."

She leaned backward, letting her back mold to the cool surface.

**More cut for MA content**

Sookie gasped for breath and turned her face until her fiery cheek touched the hood of the car. "If I'm going to meet the queen, I want to be clothed."

"Fine," he said with mock exasperation and then he hoisted her over his shoulder again, caressing her ass the entire way inside. He put her down outside her bedroom. "Go on, get dressed if you must."

She thanked him and smiled before slipping on the sundress she'd worn for an hour the night before. She folded the rest of her clothes and put them into the bags Pam had brought them in, lining the hall with all her new things.

Eric emerged from his room fully clothed with a bag over his arm. "I'll be glad to never have to sleep in there again." He looked over his shoulder and grimaced.

"So we're not coming back here?" she teased.

"No." He dropped his bag and gathered her in his arms. "I've got bigger plans."

Her eyebrows arched. "Oh?" _Does that mean he plans on taking me on vacation?_

He didn't elaborate what those plans would be; he simply kissed her, which was good enough.

While Sookie gathered the rest of their things from the house, Eric took bags to his car, filling the trunk. She slipped her new heels on and stood on the front porch. "I'm kind of going to miss it."

Eric laced his fingers through hers and led her to his car. "Are you ready for a drive in my _fancy_ car?"

"Yes!"

He held her door open and helped her into her seat. The engine purred when he started it, sending a vibration through her legs and up her spine. He took the bumpy dirt driveway slowly, but once they got out onto the open road, he shifted into the highest gear and put the pedal to the metal.

Sookie rolled her window down and put her hand out. She smiled and said, "It's like flying."

"Now you understand why I like it."

The next three hours passed in relative silence. Spending the last week together had made them comfortable around each other. Sookie had a million questions about everything, but couldn't figure out where to begin asking, and even if she did, would she want to know the answers? Probably not. She knew very little about vampires, and even less about vampire politics.

By the time they reached the outskirts of New Orleans, her legs bounced with nervous energy. It looked smaller than she remembered, and more sinister. Cast in shadows, the streets seemed to be hiding something. _Vampires,_ she thought. When she was a kid, she didn't know they existed, but now she questioned everything. Had they been here back then? Did they know who she was and had just been waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch her up? Would they have taken a six-year old? She scoffed, thinking the queen wouldn't have had a problem with that at all.

"Everything okay?" Eric asked, putting a hand on her knee.

Her nervous movements stilled. "Yeah, just a little anxious."

He squeezed her leg but didn't offer any words of reassurance. He seemed uneasy, too.

As they neared the center of the city, the streets became more crowded. People milled around waiting for their night of fun to begin. Sookie closed her eyes and _listened_. She didn't have much time, but found several blank spots right away. The car came to a stop. A bright red light glowed against the hood of the car, stopping traffic while a side street passed through the intersection. She focused on one of the vampires standing on the sidewalk nearby, who stared at Eric's car as intently as she looked at him. She was grateful for the dark tint on his windows.

"Do you know him?" she whispered.

Eric glanced at her window and nodded before putting the car in gear and taking off. His jaw tightened.

 _Uh oh._

"Headquarters is a block from here," he said as if he were warning her of an impending storm.

"Okay," she replied, sitting on her hands to stop them from shaking. _Breathe. Everything is going to be all right._ "What if I don't want the job? I mean … the queen has gone to a lot of trouble to make sure I'm here, but what about what _I_ want?" The words flowed out of her mouth in an anxious stream.

Eric glanced at her and frowned. She wished for a moment she could read his mind.

The next time the car stopped, Eric rolled his window down. He nodded to the vampire perched in the security booth.

"The queen's expecting you," the man said.

Eric nodded again and looked straight ahead, waiting for the gate to open.

The vampire gazed at Sookie with a mixture of desire and curiosity. She swallowed hard and wished Eric was still touching her leg, but he wasn't, he was driving, or trying to if the guard would just let them in. Finally, the gate swept open and Eric eased forward. He closed his window and followed the road toward a massive palace. His car joined many others when they parked.

"That guy gave me the creeps," Sookie whispered. "Why was he looking at me like that?"

"Everyone knows who you are. I'm sure they're all very curious."

"Curious is fine by me, it's the hungry stare I can't abide by."

Eric gave a short laugh. "That's something you need to get used to. Do you have any idea how good you smell?" He turned to face her, his pupils dilated and his fangs on full display. "Without Compton spoiling it, your sweet fairy blood calls to us, begging us to drain you dry."

He hadn't mentioned that before, and now she sat a short distance away from a building full of creatures that wanted to kill her. _Great._ "I don't suppose I could get a rain check for our meeting tonight, can I?"

"No. We would both pay the price." That seemed to sober him up. He got out and a moment later stood by her side of the car. He opened her door and held his hand out to her.

She took a deep breath and stepped outside.

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I will not be posting any other chapters of this story here. If you would like to read the rest of this story (and the dozens of others I've written), please visit my blog at MySecretOFanFiction dot wordpress dot com


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